A disposable diaper and a sanitary napkin are known as absorbent articles that absorb liquid such as bodily waste fluid. Such an absorbent article includes as a component part an absorbent body that absorbs a liquid, and this absorbent body is formed by molding into a predetermined shape a liquid absorbent fiber such as pulp fiber made by mixing therein superabsorbent polymer (a high molecular weight polymer having a high liquid holding ability and that swells and the like by absorbing liquid).
On the other hand, with a view to providing a better appearance when clothes are worn and decreasing the sense of bulkiness, there is a need to make thinner an absorbent article such as the diaper and the sanitary napkin.
In regards to this point, PTL 1 discloses, in a method that makes an absorbent body thin, passing through and sandwiching and pressing an absorbent body in between a pair of rollers which are opposed to each other and rotate.